Remembrance and Roots: Westminster School District at the 51st Black April Commemoration
May 7, 2026
Fifty-one years ago, millions of lives were forever changed. Today, Westminster School District returned to Sid Goldstein Freedom Park to make sure that history is never forgotten.
On April 30, 2026, WSD Cabinet leaders, Board President David Johnson, and Board Members Frances Nguyen and Khanh Nguyen joined the Vietnamese-American community in Westminster for the 51st commemoration of Black April — known in Vietnamese as Tháng Tư Đen — the solemn annual observance marking the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. District leaders participated in wreath dedications at both the City of Westminster's morning ceremony at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park and an evening candlelight prayer vigil held at the same location.
The commemoration honored the soldiers, civilians, and government officials of the Republic of Vietnam who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom, and offered prayers for the more than half a million Vietnamese people who perished during their journey to escape communist rule — many of them lost at sea, without ceremony, without farewell.
When Students Carry History Forward
Among the most powerful moments of this year's morning ceremony was a presentation by 8th grade students from Warner Middle School's Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion (VDLI) Program. Under the title Lịch Sử Qua Chuyện Kể: Hành Trình Tìm Tự Do — History Through Stories: The Journey to Freedom, WSD students shared excerpts from a year-long Oral History Capstone Project in which they researched the Vietnam War and the Vietnamese refugee experience, conducted hour-long interviews with their own parents and grandparents, and wrote essays entirely in Vietnamese about what that history means to them personally.
Their words carried the weight of lived memory. One student described the moment Saigon fell through her grandmother's eyes — not knowing if her grandfather, a police officer, was still alive. Another spoke of a father who drifted at sea for ten days at the age of fourteen, holding onto nothing but the hope of survival. A third shared that all three generations of his family have been refugees, their journey spanning decades and two continents. Together, the students closed with a promise: to continue preserving the language, culture, and legacy that their grandparents and elders worked so hard to build.
The presentation was written by the students themselves, entirely in Vietnamese as a testament to both their language proficiency and the depth of their cultural education.
"What these students created is unlike anything that comes from a textbook. They spent a year listening to their parents and grandparents, learning not just the history of April 30th, but their own family's place within it. To hear them stand before veterans and elders and speak those stories back in Vietnamese, with that level of understanding and pride, is a reminder of why this program exists and what our students are capable of," said Kenneth Lopour, Principal of Warner Middle School.
Building on a Year of Remembrance
WSD's presence at this year's commemoration follows a deeply meaningful milestone. At last year's 50th anniversary, which was one of the largest Black April observances in the city's history, the district showed up in full force. Board members collectively presented a ceremonial wreath, and Trustee Frances Nguyen delivered a moving personal address, drawing from her own experience fleeing Vietnam to speak to the enduring significance of April 30th for the Vietnamese-American community. Approximately 30 VDLI students performed at that ceremony, singing a tribute to traditional Vietnam in both Vietnamese and English before a crowd that included veterans and elders who were visibly moved by the cultural knowledge the next generation carried with them.
WSD also introduced the inaugural WSD Inspires! Community Partnership Award at last year's commemoration, honoring Ms. Kim Dinh Nguyen and Dr. Kim Anh Nguyen Dang for their contributions to preserving Vietnamese culture and heritage among Westminster students and families.
Showing Up Is Its Own Statement
This year's return is something quieter and perhaps more meaningful. There was no milestone number to anchor the moment, no round anniversary to mark. Dr. Hansen and WSD's board members came because they chose to, and that choice reflects the kind of relationship this district has built with the community it serves.
By standing alongside veterans and families at both ceremonies, from the morning's formal tribute through the candlelight vigil that closed the evening, WSD demonstrated that its commitment to the Vietnamese-American community is not occasional or ceremonial. It is consistent. It is year after year. It is showing up when the cameras have moved on.
"Black April asks all of us to remember — and remembering is something we take seriously at Westminster School District. Fifty-one years later, we honor those who sacrificed everything in the pursuit of freedom, and we stand beside the families in our schools who carry this history with them. Their stories, their losses, and their resilience are part of who we are as a district and as a community — and we are committed to ensuring that legacy lives on in every child we serve," said Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.
A History That Lives Inside WSD Schools
For many WSD families, Black April is not history in the distant sense. It is a memory held by grandparents who fled by boat with nothing but hope, by parents who grew up with stories of sacrifice and survival, and by children who are still learning the full weight of what their families endured. This year's student presentation made that reality visible in a way that no speech or ceremony alone could.
Westminster is home to one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States, and WSD's schools reflect that reality every day. The VDLI program at Warner Middle School — the first of its kind in California — gives students the language, the heritage, and the cultural foundation to understand where they come from.
About the Commemoration
The City of Westminster's Black April Remembrance Ceremony was held at 10 a.m. at Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, 14180 All American Way, Westminster, CA. The evening Commemoration Ceremony and Candlelight Prayer Vigil, held from 5 to 9 p.m. at the same location, was organized by a coalition of Vietnamese-American community organizations: The Vietnamese Anti-Communist Community of Southern California, The Southern California Veterans Associations, The Overseas South Vietnam Soldiers Collective–Southwestern Center, The Coalition of Vietnamese American Against Communism, The Union of Vietnamese Student Association of Southern California, The Hong Bang Cultural Center, and The Phan Boi Chau Youth League.
About Westminster School District
Serving a richly diverse population, Westminster School District is committed to academic excellence, equity, and community engagement. Through strong partnerships and a vision that values every child's potential, WSD works to empower learners and build future leaders rooted in culture, compassion, and curiosity. To learn more, visit www.wsdk8.us.